Stories from Monday, June 20, 2016

Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today: 1. FBI TO RELEASE ORLANDO SHOOTING TRANSCRIPTS Parts of the conversations between the gunman within the Pulse gay nightclub and police negotiators will be made public...

Ten Sikeston High School students scored 30 or higher out of a perfect 36 during the 2015-2016 school year. Their scores place them in the 95th to 99th percentile on the ACT. Pictured are front row, from left: Julius Hoang, Brylie Noe, Annigeorgia O'Brien, Erin Crader, Malik Barnett; and back row: Lane Campbell, Brandon Walker, Hunter Crowley, Fadel Alkilani, Luke Blanton...

Several Sikeston High School students score above the national average ACT score, which was 20.9, for the 2015-2016 school year. These students are members of Sikeston High School's "21 Club," which recognizes those students who have scored above the ACT national average.Ten of these students scored 30 or higher out of a perfect 36. ...

MOREHOUSE, Mo. - Melissa Lynn Dicus Usher, 51, died June 18, 2016, at Missouri Delta Medical Center. For the complete obituary and more, see the Monday edition of the Standard Democrat.

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. -- Larry Samuel Loflin, 72, formerly of Bertrand, died June 11, 2016, at Saint Francis Medical Center. For the complete obituary and more, see the Monday edition of the Standard Democrat.

BERTRAND, Mo. -- It isn't easy for a small town to get a big corporation's attention, but Bertrand is trying. In May, Rebecca Kelley, Bertrand's city clerk, began a petition drive asking Dollar General to build one of its stores in the community. "There are just no stores here and we have no gas station or anything," explained Kelley about the community, located on Highway 62, about eight miles east of Sikeston. ...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Crops need rain and lower temperatures soon for relief. Most crops are "just a few days away from difficult times," said University of Missouri Extension agronomy specialist Bill Wiebold. "We can go from 'not so bad' to 'pretty bad' quickly," Wiebold says...

Regarding "Stand up and go," if you are a man portraying to be a woman and you still have male genitals, then you are not a true transgender. Get a sex change, then call yourself a transgender. Until then, use the men's bathroom. Anyone can dress like the other sex to slip into bathrooms for their "kicks and grins."...

ADVANCE, Mo. - Shirley Ann Vance, 75, died June 19, 2016, at Life Care Center of Cape Girardeau. For the full obituary and more, see the Monday edition of the Standard Democrat.

LENEXA, Kan. -- Ada Bass Falkoff, 93, formerly of East Prairie, Mo., died June 17, 2016, in Olathe. Services were conducted Monday at Beth Sholom Memorial Gardens in Memphis with High Point Funeral Home and Crematorium in charge of arrangements. For the complete obituary, see the Wednesday edition of the Standard Democrat...

JACKSON, Mo. - Law enforcement has issued an endangered person advisory for a Jackson resident, who was last seen Friday afternoon. Police are searching for Adrienne K. Ptacek, 57, who was reported missing Monday by family members. She was last seen at her residence at 1515 Osage Trail on Friday and had not been seen since, according to the advisory...

SIKESTON - Police say they have determined the cause of a man's burns but say they are continuing their investigation. Capt. James McMillian, Sikeston Department of Public Safety information officer, said the DPS investigation contradicts the initial report on the cause of the man's burns...